Carl William Ruppert, 74, of Grimes, Iowa, passed away peacefully at home on Saturday, October 2, 2021. He was born on May 22, 1947, in Orange, New Jersey, the son of Cleldon F. and Betty C. Ruppert. He graduated from Robert E. Lee High School in Houston, Texas, in 1965. He was an accomplished oboe player, and was a member of the Houston All-City Symphony Orchestra. He traveled with the orchestra to Europe in 1964, where they performed at the Bayreuth Music Festival in Germany.
Carl graduated in 1969 from Rice University in Houston, Texas, with a BA in Sociology from the School of Social Sciences. He worked for most of his life as an auditor for the insurance industry and retired in 2006 after a long career at Fireman's Fund, and later, Allianz. Subsequently, Carl moved to Grimes, Iowa, to be near family.
Carl loved animals, especially his two beautiful cats, Pookie and Monkey. His hobbies included cooking, listening to music, reading, and watching movies. He conducted extensive research on the Russian artist Nicholas Roerich, and spent years compiling a database identifying and locating many of Roerich’s artworks. He later donated his research to the Nicholas Roerich Museum in New York City.
Carl died of colon cancer. Please have a colonoscopy when you reach age 50. This simple procedure could save your life by detecting precancerous polyps, especially if you have inherited the colon cancer gene.
Carl was preceded in death by his parents, and is survived by his sisters, Barbara Ruppert of Houston, Texas, Nancy Ruppert, of Johnston, Iowa, and Karen Siebrasse of Stuart, Iowa. He was loved by his family and friends and will be missed. He lived life his way and we respect him for that.
Memorials may be sent in Carl's name to Noah’s Ark Animal Foundation, 1986 W GEAR AVE, FAIRFIELD, IA 52556.
